Diana Fortress, Roman fortification in Kladovo, Serbia.
Diana Fortress is a Roman castrum at Karataš, 8 km northwest of Kladovo, on a cliff above the Danube. Its walls enclose 1.7 ha in a rounded rectangle measuring 172 x 100 m, with semicircular gate towers and larger corner towers on the landward south side. Two extra walls built in the early 4th century run down to the river, and excavations inside revealed a principium, barracks, a horreum and a latrine.
Roman Emperor Trajan ordered construction of this installation in the early 2nd century to protect river navigation and secure the frontier. The garrison served as a key outpost in Rome's strategy to control the Danube region and the surrounding territories.
Excavations at this site uncovered stone carvings and objects that tell the story of Roman life in this region. These finds give visitors a sense of how soldiers lived and worked at the garrison.
The site sits on elevated ground and can be reached on foot, though vehicle access is also available. The paths across the grounds can be slippery, especially after rain, so sturdy footwear is advisable.
The multi-room building with an apse and underfloor heating is among the structures excavated inside the walls, alongside a horreum, a principium dated to the 1st–2nd century, military barracks from the 3rd–4th century and a drainage channel. The fort's garrison included detachments of the legions V Macedonica, VII Claudia, IIII Flavia and XIII Gemina, plus the Cohors VI Thracum and Cohors V Gallorum.
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